The mission of the College of Education, Counseling, and Ethnic Studies at Sonoma State University is to advance excellence in the education and counseling professions, and to prepare students to become leaders and advocates for social justice. Central to this mission is the offering of exemplary professional education programs based on sound theory and practice, current research, appreciation for diversity, and respect for all learners. It also includes the College’s active role in the social and educational growth of the communities we serve through various partnerships, projects, and initiatives. Our interdisciplinary programs are dedicated to providing students with critical thinking and leadership skills that will help them navigate the multicultural, multiracial, and multilingual global landscape. The College of Education, Counseling, and Ethnic Studies provides programs for students seeking bachelor's degrees, preliminary credentials, certificates, specialist credentials, and graduate degrees.
Interested in looking for a specific major, minor, or graduate degree? Go to our Programs by Department webpage.
The Department of Early Childhood Studies provides a high-quality curriculum that is committed to improving early childhood education and advocating for social justice equity for an increasingly diverse group of young children and their communities. The major, minor and master's programs prepare students to work effectively with children in early childhood (birth to age 8).
School of Ethnic Studies and Languages
The interdisciplinary American Multicultural Studies (AMCS) department is dedicated to providing students with critical thinking and leadership skills that will help them navigate the multicultural and multiracial American landscape. AMCS offers a major and minor in American Multicultural Studies, as well as a concentration in Africana studies.
The Department of Chicano and Latino Studies (CALS) offers students the opportunity to employ an interdisciplinary approach to the study of one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. Students are invited to critically examine the experiences and contributions of Latino populations through several programs of study.
The programs and courses of the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures (MLL) make accessible to students the languages, literatures, and cultures of France and the Francophone world, Germany and other German-speaking countries, and Spain and Latin America. Studying a foreign language also provides benefits that impact your life and improve career opportunities.
Native American Studies (NAMS) provides students with learning opportunities with interdisciplinary courses encompassing history, literature, environment and sustainability, social justice, film, arts, philosophical systems, language, and culture. NAMS’s strength is in our close collaboration with local tribes and Native organizations that ground and support the continuation of Indigenous knowledge systems.
Hutchins School of Liberal Studies
At Hutchins School of Liberal Studies, we challenge the limits. We believe there should not be a limit to what you can learn or who you can become. We are the flagship liberal arts program of the CSU system, with one of the highest graduation and retention rates in the state.
The Liberal Studies-Ukiah Degree Completion Program offers coursework in the social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences while providing a flexible major through which students may also take courses in other areas of interest.
School of Teacher Education and Leadership
LSEE is meeting the needs of kindergarten through upper elementary students and credential candidates. The goal of SSU’s Multiple Subject Credential program is to prepare aspiring teachers to play a vital role in California public schools.
CSSE is dedicated to the advancement of excellence in education. CSSE offers an exemplary Single Subject teacher education preparation program based on sound educational practice, extensive research knowledge, and sensitivity to the needs of diverse populations.
ELSE provides state-of-the-art professional preparation for educators in the fields of educational administration and special education. The core values of our department center upon a dedication to educational excellence as a pivotal contributor to social progress.
Counseling offers two professional training options: Option I prepares students for Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CMHC) and eventual licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) and/or as a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC); Option II prepares students for the School Counseling and the Pupil Personnel Services Credential (SC/PPSC).